Ukrainian Foreign Minister Says US Promises More Help To Deal With Russia

Menlu Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba. (Wikimedia Commons / Eduard Kryzhanivsky)

JAKARTA - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday his colleague US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had offered his country more support in the form of sanctions and weapons amid the Russian invasion.

"In our talks, Minister Blinken emphasized that US support for Ukraine remains unwavering," Foreign Minister Kuleba said on Twitter.

"I underlined that Ukraine longs for peace. But, as long as we are under Russian attack, we need more sanctions and weapons. Minister Blinken assured me of both. We are coordinating further steps," Kuleba continued.

Washington has implemented a series of sanctions along with other Western allies to restrict Russia's access to foreign funds, investments or technology in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine.

Previously, the United States had delivered a number of weapons to Ukraine that were taken from its arsenal in the fall of 2021 and last December.

On Friday last week, President Biden instructed the State Department to release additional weapons to Ukraine worth approximately US$350 million from US stockpiles.

Washington, however, vehemently rejected Ukraine's request for the West to impose a no-fly zone to protect Ukraine from Russian air strikes, a move that would bring Western forces into direct conflict with the Russian military.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that imposing a no-fly zone would be a move to send US troops against Russia.

"The no-fly zone will require implementation," he said, adding it would require "the deployment of the US military to enforce, which would be a potential direct conflict, and potentially war with Russia, which is something we don't plan to be a part of."